Ember & Josh Altimus' Wedding Weekend!

*taken by: Sara Rozzell

Last weekend was absolutely fabulous! Last weekend, my cousin Ember, married the love of her life, Josh. They are so adorable together! She was probably the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. (but I may be a little bias) I'm so happy and I was so honored to stand up next to them as they said their vows. My cousin, Sarah, performed the ceremony & that made it even more special.

I did my best not to blubber through the whole ceremony, but when Ember came down the aisle with tears in her eyes... there was nothing I could do. Then I saw her husband had tears in his eyes too.. It was hard to hold my bouquet, her bouquet, and keep my make-up looking good as these ridiculous tears threaten to stream down my face !! :)

It was a perfect day.

Here are some pictures from this weekend:
*NOTE: once the photographer arrived, I stopped taking pictures. Most of my pictures are of the day before and then us getting ready day of. The pictures taken by others are stated as such.*

Her Bridesmaid Luncheon was given by my mother at Neiman Marcus' Zodiac Room Downtown. Followed by a complimentary make up session for her entire bridal party.

Ember making introductions:

My SUPER cousin Zanna Grace & her Aunt Stevie:

The beautiful Bride & our Grandma:

My stunning cousin Stevie...
The Bride & her Matron-of-Honor

Getting ready to rehearse at the church:

Ring Bearer & Flower Girl:
Mother of the Bride & my little brother:

Ember & her bridesmaids:

The rehearsal dinner was so much fun! Ember had her videographer put together at video montage with pictures of them growing up and their relationship. I loved it! The way he did it was really cool and the music was perfect. He had them each individually growing up.. then all of their friends and family... and then pictures of their relationship. Did I mention I loved it?

Lola with the Bride & Groom

Em & ALT taking it all in:

WEDDING DAY!

Peeking at the boys getting their pictures taken:
*taken by: Sara Rozzell

Em first started seeing ALT about 4 months before I went to France. We could all tell that they were meant for one another. While I was in Paris we went to Disneyland. I saw this pin there. It is of Ariel (Belle was sold out) in her Bridal Gown. I thought it was so cute. My family is a DISNEY family, so I bought it for Ember for her wedding day. I held on to it until her last shower when I gave it to her... so about 3 years. I told her this story and said if she wanted, we could pin it to the underside of her dress and it could be her "something Disney"... & that's exactly what she did.

The reception was absolutely breathtaking. Her florist out did herself! It was also the MOST fun! All of a sudden the DJ said there would only be 2 more songs, Kev looked at his watch and it was already 11:45!! The night flew by! We weren't ready for the night to be over, so we went down the street to Boston's and continued the party... :)
*taken by: Sara Rozzell
*taken by: Sara Rozzell
My cousin can totally ROCK the air guitar!
*taken by: Sara Rozzell
*taken by: Gayle Henry

As the Matron-of -Honor, I got to make a speech!! Imagine the speech teacher being excited about that! My main goal was to get through it with out squeaking. I wanted people to be able to understand all the wonderful things I had to say. The night before, I practiced in front of my cousins, Emily & Stevie, and had them crying just sitting in our office. I am proud to say I only had a few moments when I had to pause to hold back the tears... I got through it & I really hope they liked it.
A copy of my toast to the Bride & Groom:

(me & Ember in '97)

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Alyssa and I have known Ember all her life. We are cousins. Our mom’s are sisters, but I have always considered Ember a sister more than a cousin. She was my Maid of Honor and I was so thrilled when she asked me to be hers.

I’ve known that I was going to be giving this toast for quite some time now… 3 and a half years actually. Because when Ember met Josh, we all knew they were meant for one another. It’s a great feeling, knowing that someone you love more than most things in the world has found that person who will love them more than you do.

My mind has been going over all the years that she looked up to me and came to me when she needed advice. We have always been super close. She is the type of person that you don't need to hold back with. She speaks her mind and expects NOTHING less from you. We cheered together... roomed together at camp and eventually lived together the year before I got married. AND I LOVED IT ALL!

I honestly can't believe she's old enough to get married. Sometimes when I look at her, I see the little girl who used to sit on skateboards and ride them down her parent’s driveway with me and her brothers. We actually played Cowboys and Indians. I see the little girl dressed in white lace for her tea party. I see us running together from the lake to the condo out at Possum Kingdom. Staying up late talking... staying with me in my dorm in college and then later in life at my apartment. Driving down to Austin so she and her friends could go without parental supervision. Watching EVERY movie Josh Hartnett ever starred in when she got sick with Mono... including BLOW DRY, which is the worst movie EVER! I remember riding in the car with her when she only had her driver’s permit. Cheering together at Oakridge and competitively and watching her cheer and run the pep rallies... taking pictures of her and her date for Proms, Homecoming, and school dances... Graduation, even her bridal pictures. I helped her settle into her dorm at Baylor and then spent the night at her dorm at TCU. I watched her stumble through a few relationships and was waiting in the wings for whatever she needed knowing that she would find her way. Praying she would find the one man who would love her for her quirks, her fears, her spirit… the one who would treat her like the Princess that she is. I had all the faith in the world that he was out there for her. And then... she met Josh.

When Ember met Josh... I knew he was the one for her. She knew it, he knew it... we all knew it. Everyone who knows them together... knows it. They just mesh so well. The mutual love and respect that they share is out of a fairytale. If there is anyone in the world good enough for my Embo Jo... it's ALT. We are all so lucky to be adding such a great man to our family. To be expanding it even more… And now the Altimus family is stealing Ember away from us for a while to Louisiana. I don’t know what I will do not having you close. I will miss you so much! But I want you to know that I am always here for you… 4 in the morning, I don’t care. And you know that, but I wanted to tell you with all these witnesses that, "That you’ve always been a friend to me", and in words of the great Sara Evans:
“If I had to run, if I had to crawl, if I had to swim 100 rivers, just to climb 1000 walls, always know that I will find a way to get to where you are… there’s no place that far…"

I ended the toast joined by our cousins... and we showed the Altimuses just how much we loved them with the gift of our song! Ember started jumping up and down as soon as she knew what we were doing... "Happy Wedding Day to you".. sung off key, at different levels of loudness, and never at the same pitch, tone or insync... The Demarest Way. :)

I love you Embo Jo ALT!
Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Altimus! What a wonderful night!!
*taken by: Sara Rozzell

eagerly anticipating...

Today is Harry Potter Day at my house. With the 6th movie opening in theaters in a mere 12 days we are celebrating by watching all 5 of the movies.. in order.. and in a row. My best friend, Katie, received a Harry Potter cookbook from her sister (that she created) for her birthday and we used it to make food for the day long extravaganza!

Jamie.. you are so creative and amazing! I want a copy. Let's pretend it's my birthday too!

We made:
Honeydukes Cockroach Clusters
Hogwarts Express Pumpkin Pasties
McGonogall's office biscuits
Sytherin Stew
Madame Puddifoot's couples coffee
Holiday at the Burrow's Mince Meat Pies
Felix Felicis
Harry Potter Cookies
and
a veggie tray

I will post pictures later. We just started the 2nd movie. :)

If you are a Harry Potter fan, click the link below. This a link to a hilarious summary of HP 4 told in 15 minutes by Cleolinda Jones.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Fifteen Minutes

Happy Early Harry Potter Day!

The Beach and Pier Fishing

What a day! We loaded up the car and headed to the Emerald Coast today! I am exhausted and all we did was hang out on the beach and swim in the surf! We set up umbrellas and made our own little place....

Jack had so much fun playing in the sand!

His poka face...
We left around 2pm because there was a storm rolling in... We totally could have stayed... because it rolled right on by. :) But my back is fried so I am glad we high tailed it when we did. I'm so frustrated because I put on soooo much sunscreen! Ah well....

jordan hanging out under our umbrellas with the storm in the background...

Jackson staring at the ocean...

I really love the Emerald Coast. It is so pretty. Didn't love the June Grass that decided to wash in with the tide today... little pieces of sea weed look alikes... gross!

In the evening we went out the pier to do some fishing. Jordan and Brad both hooked some big fish. SO big that they broke their lines.
They were too big to keep anyway... but it was a bummer that they couldn't bring them up.
A cool looking bird scouting for some dinner...

We saw a SEA TURTLE today!! A sea turtle!!! Brad (the sea turtle expert.. kinda a big deal) said it was a Logger Head. Jordan thinks it was heading to the beach to nest. Every other Monday she helps patrol in the wee hours of the morning for turtle nests. :)

The sun setting from the pier... I think this picture is super cute! :)

We are going wakeboarding tomorrow!

Sippy cups and Girls Night Out

Ahhh... another day living the life! The big boys have been working on the boat all day. We feel so bad for them. Today was supposed to be their big day of fishing! But instead, they are spending the day trying to get the boat to stop screaming at them. :( hopefully the last trip to the store will produce the magic part that will fix the problem.

Here are some pictures from yesterday and today:

Jackson and his mama:

*kiss kiss*

talking to Gdad on the phone:
look!! I'm standing:

Jordana and I went out last night. The boys watched Jack and we had a fabulous time. We ended the night at Pat O'Brien's on the water in Destin. They are famous for their hurricane's... and it was so good! We walked the pier and then headed back home.

my flash didn't work :(

Today... Jack ate ravioli for the first time... and LOVED IT!
This is the face Jack makes when you ask him what an elephant sounds like:

He figured out the sippy cup today!!!
And clapped for himself when we told him "YAY" for being oh so smart!
never want to leave... :)

Hanging with the Boykins

We are having the best time in Florida with Jordan, Brad and Jack-a-roo! They bought a boat last week and we took it out last night. Brad drove us over to Destin and took us through the Harbor. We stayed in the bay, it was much calmer... and we had Jack with us.

After we drove around for a while we stopped at crab island. It isn't really an island. It is a sand bar where the water is knee to waist deep. We threw the anchor in and Brad actually jumped out of the boat to set the anchor. The water felt great!

We trolled for fish on the way back to the boat ramp. Kevin caught a Blue fish. Which we ate for dinner last night. Brad is an amazing cook and he made fish tacos with the fish the boys caught. Jordan and Brad's lifestyle down here is so relaxing.

Needless to say we are having a great time! We so grateful to have friends like them!

Jordan and Brad's boat:

Baby Jack:
Jack enjoying his big toe as a snack:

gorgeous sunset on the Bay:
Baby Jack asleep on the boat:

Best friends for over 10 years!

Jordan and Brad:
Kev and me:
The boys:

Internetless

Well.. the move is on going... we've been making trips back and forth for a WHOLE WEEK now and we are STILL not done getting everything from the old house. I am determined that tomorrow is it. We are both physically and emotionally spent. I didn't realize we had SO MUCH stuff!

The kitchen in the new house is ready. The shelves are lined and everything has a place and is in said place. Let's just hope it stays that way! Our dishwasher was running for 3 days straight! I wanted everything spotless before I put it away.

The other rooms are not so much. I am having my cousin's lingerie shower (I'm her MOH and SOOO excited about it!) at the new house on Friday so I am on a deadline. It will happen... I have faith and GREAT friends!

We still do not have Internet. I am actually at a friends house right now and they are super cool because they are letting me use their Internet instead of interacting with them. haha We should be up and fully functional on Wednesday. We are getting the at&t u-verse... We have had direct tv for the past 4 years so I am anxious about this... but we will be saving 75 dollars a month by bundling the Internet, phone, and tv. Plus the universal DVR is pretty cool.

I owe the blogging community a blog about:
last day of school
our 4 year wedding anniversary
our move
and
pictures of our new house

Alright.. I am being summoned and was just told by the birthday girl that it's time to stop being anti-social! Come on Wednesday!!!

2nd to last day

Today was the 2nd to last day of school before the kiddos are released into the world for their summer break. Most of my classes are finished with their finals. I have one class tomorrow and then I am done.

Now, I normally am VERY strict about writing on my board. I only have one in my classroom. But as you can see in the picture above.. I let the students go nuts. :) If you click on the picture, it will open up bigger and you can read all of their comments.

BTW... they are not calling me a HAG!!! :) HAGS means have a great summer. HAHA I had to clarify. And one of them calls me Mrs. Swagga...

The 8th graders were so funny today. They were all hugging each other like they were never going to see one another again. Uhhh, guys... we have school tomorrow! I am told to expect tears from here on out. I am ok with that... it's a big transition.

I have really enjoyed signing yearbooks. It's so different as a teacher. I can't write the lame-o "Have a kick ass summer" because, well, you can't cuss in a student's yearbook... and a message from your teacher should have SOME wisdom in it! Basically I have been telling them they are ROCK STARS... cuz they are.

It hasn't set in that next week I won't be going to school. I won't be sitting at my desk, starting up my computer and getting everything ready to mold the minds that will walk through my door. The young adults that walked through my door this morning as my 7th/8th grade students may walk through my door again, but they won't be my students. I can't imagine not seeing them all everyday. The thought of not being at my school and talking to my fellow teachers... but that said, I am REALLY ready for summer!

I've been so INCREDIBLY corny this past week and laughing to keep from crying. Even my students have said, "Wow Mrs. Lawther, you ARE corny today!" :)
At the beginning of the semester I had the students do an assignment where they told me their dreams. I put them up on my dream wall, and I have held on to them for the past 6 months.
I took them down this week and a few noticed and asked me what I did with their dreams! haha
The last day of class before finals, I gave their dreams back.. I told them I took care of them all this time. I tried my hardest to help them get closer to their dreams and now it is time for them to forge on without me. SO CORNY! :)
I walked around the room and handed each dream back to the student. It was a really cool moment. I actually teared up and some of the kids made sad faces and told me they were going to miss me this summer.

My students have taught me so much over this past year. I can't wait to see where they go and who they become. Every one of them has the potential for greatness. How cool that I get to say that I knew them when... that I taught them....

1 more day with students... 3 more days until SUMMER!

AHS here we come!

For those of you who don't know...my husband is a Coach. Today, he got promoted to AHS to teach world geography and coach the o line/d line of the 9th grade football team. This was something that he was hoping to do in the future, move up to high school, but we didn't think it would happen this soon.


Coach Peach (who Kev played for at Martin) is the head coach. Kev is really excited to be working for him. He's sad to leave his coaching staff where he is now... they all really get along. But, he's excited for next year.

He'll also be coaching wrestling. That should be interesting.

So.. Congrats Coach Lawther from your wife... Coach Lawther!